Guillermo del Toro may be done with “The Hobbit,” but the director has already picked his next project: directing a new adaptation of Disney's theme park attraction, The Haunted Mansion.

The “Hellboy” director announced the news yesterday at Comic-Con, noting that this interpretation would not, repeat not, be akin to Eddie Murphy’s “The Haunted Mansion” from 2003.

“We are not returning Eddie Murphy’s calls,” del Toro said, drawing laughs from the crowd. Instead, he's aiming for a “haunted house movie that a generation remembers and loves.”

Although the movie is based on a Disney theme park ride, del Toro said his direction will take the film to frightful places. "[W]e’re making the Haunted Mansion the most haunted place on Earth...this is going to be scary. If you take the children, they will scream," del Toro said. "But we hope that happens."

soundoff(9 Responses)

Colin

Can't blame him for moving on from Hobbit (I really wanted to see his version), it had already eaten up years of his life and they were still weren't close to actually filming anything. The guy wants to make movies and create, not sit around for years in the middle of movie politics and money talks.

Although yeah, Haunted Mansion? That said, he's earned my trust as a director, I'll see anything he does.

sell-out? what does that mean exactly? if it means that he's a proven, talented director, who works harder at what he does than most other filmmakers, and who has the artistic drive to constantly be creating new and interesting visions, and who also has enough influence and industry clout to get to pick and choose what he works on next (from what has to be hundreds or thousands of scripts and offers), then I guess he would be a big 'ol sell-out.

any person who can be genuinely artistic and have a financially successful career is a bringer of hope to starving artists everywhere. personally, I'm happy for the guy. he's earned his success. I would stand in line to see del Toro's version of "The Carebears Movie", he's that good. and he deserves every penny he brokered out of the deal with Disney.

Let's talk about directors that are definitely sell-outs. Steven Spielberg (does big-budget crap movies now). Michael Bay (always was a sell-out). Brett Ratner (ugh). Martin Scorcese has become a sell-out. Even Ridley Scott.
Of course, an argument can be made that these directors are just trying to make commercially successful films in order to finance 'pet projects' that they know will be seen by far fewer people.
If Del Toro didn't put his very significant stamp on the films he makes, I would understand the sell-out comment. Part of me hopes he does something similar to "The Devil's Backbone" again. That was one twisted and cool movie.

So is this going to be an official Disney movie or what? Btw, I liked the Eddie Murphy one, but I wish the Mansion used in that film (and this one if it is "official") is the WDW one, not one based off of the Disney Land one.

Of course he left The Hobbit. MGM is in bankruptcy and there's no telling when the movie will ever see the light of day. Sure, The Hobbit would have been lucrative, but MGM is currently saying it may not even get funding until 2012. Being upset with Guillermo Del Toro for moving on so he can actually MAKE movies is like getting mad at Daniel Craig for not sitting around and waiting for MGM to get funding for the next Bond flick.
It makes no sense for these people to sit around when they could actually be working and making money.
If it were any director other than Del Toro, I would probably be just as uninterested in seeing "Haunted Mansion", but the man has talent...so this will be the first Disney movie I'm looking forward to seeing in ages.